IX CAT IK Tradicional Cocina Maya — Restaurant in Valladolid

This is a cute place with good food and service.

I was a bit early for dinner and had 00's pop hits as a soundtrack. I inquired about the ambiance right before leaving and they switched to traditional Mayan music. Wish I'd said something earlier.

They have a very extensive drinks menu from cocktails, to mezcal as well as beer and wine. Most of their cocktails are twists on classics but there's no description so you have to ask the waiter or waitress for details on each. Not a big deal but it also wouldn't be one if they added a list of ingredients, it'd be a better ordering experience in my opinion.

I had the Ix Cat Ik Margarita, the Tsi’ikbil Wakax (beef Píibil) starter and Camarón Xibalba (Shrimp in black spices sauce). After I ordered, the lady came with a tray with a mortar and pestle to prepare a little dip in front of me, even asking me to taste to adjust seasoning. I appreciated the ceremonial display as well as the dip, which was, I must say, my favourite food of the evening. From the drink to the starter to the main course, everything was fine. I can't really complain on anything but I also wasn't floored. Given that this place has 2-3x prices compared to other options in Valladolid, I'd set my expectations high.

My waitress, Adriana, was very helpful and fun. She gave me good recommendations for food and drink, after I asked her to, and even teached me some Mayan language words. She made my experience that much better.

Overall, while this place is fine, there are other options for typical Mayan cuisine in Valladolid at a better price point and closer to Centro. My official rating is 3.5/5 but since that's not possible, I bump...

OH MY GOD THIS PLACE IS AMAZING! My wife took me here for my birthday last week and I honestly think it's the best dining experience I've ever had. Not kidding.

Let's start with the location that may give you some doubt about going in.... PLEASE do not let this worry you. It's perfectly fine and safe. Once you go in, you immediately will start getting this feeling that you are about to have an experience you will remember. You actually get to see how they prepare everything from start to finish and EVERYTHING and I mean EVERYTHING is made by them and is 100% natural. We even saw a lady making fresh handmade tortillas all night long which were DELICIOUS. I recommend walking over to the table where all the herbs and spices are and just take a smell of all of that. Be prepared to be swept off of your feet.

Second the service.... It was perfect our waitress was able to explain all the dishes very clearly which the menu does as well. Her recommendations were all amazing!

Now let's talk about the meal itself. We started with a home made beer that was super cold and perfect for the Mexican heat and was also delicious. We all had a variety of dishes. I started with a chicken soup cooked in lemon juice and tortilla. Hungry yet? This was followed by Pook Chook a grilled chicken marinated in sour oranges and their spices (you can get pork if you want). My wife had a fish that was cooked underground. Also amazing!

Overall this place is amazing and the next time I am in Valladolid we will definitely visit. I'm not sure why this place is not a 5.0 and need a couple of weeks advance...

Impressive is an understatement.

This is a place that, from the outside, does not like like much due to its sober facade and general appearance.

But as soon as you get in, you recognize the authenticity of anything within its building. I mean, the condiment garden at the entrance, the staff, the mayan lady making the masa and the tortillas right there, the inground pit where they are cooking the next pig that will be used for all of their pork based dishes, etc. I can keep going, but if I do, this review will take 30 minutes to read.

Food is exceptional. We were 5 grown adults (3 ladies and 2 men) and ordered 3 dishes to share. It was more than plenty. We saved space for the desserts, and you should too.

We ordered a cochinita pibil (keken piib), pooc chuk, and the mayan fish (Kay TikinXic). All three amazing. Please look at the photos. I included one of the things we ordered.

At the end, we had the Mayan coffee with the two best desserts they had: a vanilla coconut ice cream with a red fruits glaze (Sorbet Xtabay) and their pure cacao balls dessert galzes with anise (Chocolate IXCATIC). Gosh! A big debate broke in the table as to which one was better. Did not matter who had the best point. We all won since either one was absurdly good.

We end up spending less than US$ 100.00 for everything. This was a meal that anyone would have paid in the USA at least US$70.00 per...